Antiseptic and germicidal tablet.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN ROGERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES T. DAVIS, 01?

. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ANTISEPTIC AND GERMICIDAL TABLET.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN Rooms, Ph. D., a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Antiseptic and Germicidal Tablets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in antiseptic and germicidal tablets, pertaining more particularly to tablets characterized by great germicidal potency and low toxicity.

Heretofore tablets for these purposes have generally been of the type known as bi-chlorid of mercury. While tablets of this ty e have been universally used satis- .factori it has been found that a double salt of the potassium mercuric iodid type (having the formula 2H I,:2KI.3I-I,O.) possesses higher antiseptic and germicidal value than the commercial bi-chlorid of mercury tablet, producing a more favorable Oct. 31, 1916, No. 1,202,931. While this a double salt is valuable for antiseptic and germicidal purposes, its use has, heretofore, been lim ted mainly to the use disclosed in the Watson patent, due to the fact that the double salt as such has certain characterif used in the broken down condition, would istics which normally aifect its use in other relations. For instance, it has the disadvantage of being unstable when dissolved in Water, due tothe moreor less precipitation of the mercury salt. Another characteristic is'its deliquescent action when exposed to air. Both of these characteristics are such as to prevent its use in tablet form as a substitute for the bi-chlorid of mercury tablet, since the characteristic of deliquescence would tend to prevent its being utilized in tablet form as a stock in trade, and

provide a solution different from that which IS'dSSiIBd.

, I have found, however, by exper ment,

Specification of Letters Patent.

I ical re that this double salt can be utilized for this urpose when the double salt has been subected to the action of a. stabilizing or an oxidizing agent which so affects the double salt as to prevent the reduction of the mercur to the mercurous condition, then combinlng with the treated double salt a binder or agent, innocuous to materially affect the solution, but which acts to prevent the deliquescent e fi'ect.

In practice, I have used 'otassium iodid as the stabilizing agent, addicess of this salt to the potassium mercuric iodid to form a mixture therewith, a suflicient quantity being added to prevent reever, to this, since other salts'may be. em-

ployed for the purpose, such for instance as ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate, etc., these stabilizing or oxidizing salts 50- employed having the characteristic of being able to ractically prevent the normal chem dilction which is provided upon introducing potassium mercuric iodid 1nto water, viz: breaking down the mercurous salt content by the potassium iodid content into mercuric iodid and metallic mercury. The introduction of the oxidizing agent prevents this reduction and thereby produces the desired solution, the potassium mercunc iodid thus remaining stable in its solution form.

The preferred binder for preventing the" deliquescentnction of the double. salt .1S.'SO-

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

Application filed April 2, 1918. Serial No. 226,161.

dium' chlorid-table salt-which prevents the deliquescent action when combined with the double salt referred to. I prefer to employ this binder not only because of its ability to prevent deliquescence and thus enable the double salt to beplaced in tablet form, but, in addition, because this sodium chlorid content of the solution, by reason of its saline content, closely approximates the physiological saline constituency of the blood and serum, so that when the germicidal or antiseptic solution is introduced into a wound, the astringent action which is generally common to many antiseptic solutlons is revented, thesolution produced by the tabl of a bland and non-irritating character.

The invention however is not limited-to the use of the sodium chlorid as the binder, since et of the present invention being In producing the tablet, the proportions of binder may vary, a preferred proportion-where the binder is in the form of sodium chlorid-is: ka'lmerid, 10 parts, potassium iodid, 1 part, and sodium chlorid, 39 parts, these proportions seeming to give the best results.- However, I have used smaller quantities of the binder as well as larger quantities without harmful effect upon the working quality of the tablet, the smaller quantity making a tablet slightly smaller than the average antiseptic tablet, while larger quantities make an excessively large tablet, but with no material advantage, so that the particular proportions named, are more or less approximate, and the variations therefrom are considered as within the scope of the invention.

Inaddition, it is desirable that tablets of this exceedingly poisonous type should have distinguishing characteristics which would act more or less in the nature of an indicator or signal. This for the reason that it is desirable that the tablets themselves indicate the dangerous characterof the contents, and that when in solution form, a distinguishing characteristic is presented which will in icate the dangerous character of the solution as well as indicating to the intentional user that the prepared solution has been produced by the proper tablets. For this purpose I prefer to employ a very small quantity of some coloring substance, that preferred being a violet coloring substance, althou h I have used tourquine blue as well asot er colors. However, the violet coloring substance ives a color which is characteristic and w ich imparts a distinct blue cast to the solution. The advantage of the fcolor in the tablet is that it serves to draw the attention of the user to its presence in the tablet, while in solution it serves as a danger signal to the operator or to an person who might see such a colored so ution in a containing vessel.

In use, the amount of colorin substance employed 1s. comparatively smal For ingamut stance in the quantitative statement above made, the coloring substance would be about .5 part.

From the above it will be understood that I am thus able to produce a tablet for this purpose in which the germicide employed is far superior to those heretofore employed for the purpose, overcoming thedifiiculties which have heretofore been present in its use by solving the )roblems of. substantially eliminating =de iquescence and rendering it stable when employed in the formation of a solution.

lVhile I have herein set forth various ways in which the invention may be produced, it will be readily understood that the binder and the oxidizing or stabilizing agent may be of diflerent forms, and the relative proportions of parts employed may vary to meet the individual uses to which the tablet is to be put, and I desire it to be understood that I reserve the right to make any and all of such changes and modifications, as Well as a substitution of equivalent-s, insofar as the same may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims when broadly construed.

WVhat I claim is:

1. Anantiseptic tablet of potassium mercuric iodid containing a stabilizing agent in quantity sufficient to prevent reduction in solution to insoluble mercuric iodid and a suitable binder acting as a filler and serving to prevent deliquescence of the tablet.

2. An antiseptic tablet of potassium merquantity sufiicient to prevent reduction in solution to insoluble mercuric iodid, and a binder of sodium chlorid, the latter being present in an amount to give to the antiseptic solution of normal strength a tonicity ap'- proximating that of the blood.

An antiseptic tablet of potassium mercuric iodid containing a stabilizing agent of iodid salt in quantity suflicient to prevent reduction in solution to insoluble mercuric iodid, and a salt preventing deliquescence acting as a binder and present in an amount to give to the antiseptic solution of normal strength a tonicity approximating that .of the b 00d.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 

